Within recent years, there’s been a lot of work to build upon various gains pertaining to birth control.
While birth control pills have been historically reserved for women, there are now some efforts to create a male birth control pill. Scientists argue this will give both partners in relationships more of an even playing field when it comes to family planning.
Months ago, news broke that scientists made some headway in developing a male birth control pill. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot more work to be done before this drug is ready to head to the market for public consumption.
However, over-the-counter birth control pills are a different story. They may end up arriving before male birth control, according to Washington Examiner.
A Closer Look at Over-the-Counter Birth Control
HRA Pharma is the company currently working to ensure that birth control is available to women over the counter. Currently, women who want birth control pills have to go to a medical provider and receive a prescription.
Whereas HRA Pharma argues making this medication available over the counter will remove extra steps involved in accessing birth control in general.
.@Reuters reports, “Perrigo Co Plc said on Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a meeting of external experts on Nov. 18 to review the application of its daily birth control [contraceptive] for over-the-counter (OTC) use.” https://t.co/u2NhSDCb1F
— ASHP (@ASHPOfficial) September 13, 2022
On Friday, November 18, the Food and Drug Administration, along with various health-related committees, will hear out the case to make over-the-counter birth control the new normal.
It’s worth noting that making birth control pills accessible over the counter isn’t entirely new. In multiple nations, including Portugal, Mexico, and Turkey, women can legally access birth control without getting a prescription.
More Questions to Address
While over-the-counter birth control is certainly within the realm of possibilities, it raises questions about payments. Today, the average pack of birth control pills with a prescription costs anywhere from $20 to $50.
Once available over the counter, it remains to be seen whether this medication would be covered by health insurance providers or if individuals will continue to pay out of their own pockets for birth control.
POTUS is just making stuff up to get people riled up. This year Republicans in South Carolina made birth control available over the counter without a prescription, as have Rs in TN, NC, UT, ID, and many other states https://t.co/aZ0Yh96iZN https://t.co/En37mc9DXD
— patrickmgleason (@patrickmgleason) September 11, 2022
Since Roe v. Wade was removed by the Supreme Court in June, there’s been a lot more attention directed toward birth control and making it as easy as possible to access.
Some folks are going one step further than the pill and opting for permanent methods of birth control, such as vasectomies, tubal ligation, etc.
If over-the-counter birth control turns out to be successful, this will certainly remove the various steps necessary to receive this medication. Americans can expect to learn more about this development and the likelihood of over-the-counter birth control later this year.
What do you think about the steps being taken to make birth control available over the counter, rather than just by prescription only? Feel free to let us know your thoughts about birth control access in the comments area down below.
This article appeared in New Vision News and has been published here with permission.
